“now here’s a vegan magazine i can get behind! T.O.F.U. is a small diy operation, and all of their issues are available as pay-what-you-can digital downloads. they’ve released a teaser of their upcoming 5th issue which you can download here, and it’s chock full of tempting recipes, activism and diy tips, reviews, and personal spotlights. oh, and all the pictures are gorgeous and totally vegan!”

T.O.F.U.: a vegan magazine worth supporting

So, although I suspect you already do, head on over to Quarrygirl and give them some love in return. Chances are you’ll learn a thing or two.

               ”We screwed up.”

Those three words were all a lot of us needed to move on to bigger issues, and we finally got them from VegNews yesterday. After word spread about Quarrygirl’s discovery of non-vegan stock photos throughout numerous issues of the magazine plenty of us were shocked. Of course, what came to be even more shocking, at least for me, was the lack of an appropriate response from the magazine itself.

Sure, their initial post acknowledged the issue, but there was no solution, and that was a big mistake. In the world of social media, and a mass media that is always willing to jump on the anti-vegan bandwagon, this story had plenty to run with. So, it became the hot topic for many of us (including the New York Times, CNN and NPR to name a few) as we ranted, raved, debated and discussed what it all meant. And, of course, we waited to see if VegNews would change their ways.

Well, not all of us waited. Some either put their feet firmly into the ground and defended the magazine, while others turned and walked away. Whether it was the actions of their readers, advertisers, the media or something else, VegNews finally admitted their mistake yesterday.

Personally, I’ve never bought more than an issue or two of the magazine, mainly because I don’t want to be heavily influenced by someone else’s work while creating my own. However, I do hope that the magazine can move past this whole thing and get back to promoting a vegan lifestyle in a respectable way. With their commitment to creating a vegan stock photo site (shout out to Get Sconed PDX for being the first person I know to suggest such a thing!), I think things just might get better for the magazine. Eventually.

Professionally, I believe there is enough room out there for at least two vegan magazines, and I’m happy to notice that people have found their way here for whatever reason over the past week or two. We’re working on the final touches for issue five this week, and it should be out next week, so I’m hoping people will continue to check out what we’re doing.

And rest assured, as always, there will be no non-vegan stock photos in the issue.
=p

1. taking responsibility for your mistakes
2. apologising for them
3. taking steps to right the wrongs done

I’m happy to report that yesterday VegNews did all of those things. Am I completely and totally satisfied with it? In all honesty, no. I do think this should have been their first reaction, and that it should be featured more prominently on the site… But the bigger issue to me is that there’s no comment on what really bothered me about the whole thing: their attempt to cover up the issue, and their poor attitude when first called on it. I read a really interesting article lately on the dangers of forgiving too easily. In fact, there was also a brilliant quote in Mad Men that I think sums up my feelings on the issue: “Since when is forgiveness a better quality than loyalty?” I don’t think I completely trust VegNews – not yet.

Having said that… Following Quarrygirl’s lead, I think I’m willing to take a step back and let my hurt feelings go. VegNews is, after all, run by people. People who also have feelings. I would be lying if I said that I had never found myself getting defensive when confronted with mistakes. True, overcoming that defensiveness is a big part of growing up, but I’m willing to cut the company some slack – if they actually carry through with their promises. A business relationship is like many others. When trust is betrayed, apologies don’t automatically rebuild broken trust. That takes time, and effort.

VegNews has committed to i) representing recipes with custom vegan photography, ii) using only vegan stock images, and iii) working towards the development of (and later hosting) a vegan photo bank. I’m sure there will be people who don’t think this is enough. For example, depending on how the photo bank is run, some photographers may feel that their profession is not being given its due. Hopefully VegNews is taking this into account. In the meanwhile, I see that they’ve signed their names on this letter, unlike the previous one, which was a source of aggravation for some people. It seems to me that the people at VegNews are making some sort of effort to stand behind the promises they’ve made, and are willing to work towards repairing the damaged relationship with their readers. They’ve even included contact information and invited feedback, which is a good sign.

Like any promises, these ones need to be honoured to mean anything. As I’ve said, forgiveness shouldn’t always come easily. I ended my last post by saying that “VegNews does not deserve your forgiveness because they haven’t even asked for it. And, until they do, they will not get it. At least, not from me.” Well, they have now asked for our forgiveness – and I am (tentatively) willing to give it.

The publishing world is a ruthless one. No one is denying that. I agree that it’s great that VegNews is able to reach an audience that may otherwise not have access to vegan materials… As one of the commentors on Quarry Girl’s recent exposé remarked, VegNews is available to people shopping at Safeway in Nebraska – T.O.F.U. Magazine and the vegan blogosphere isn’t so immediately visible. It’s great that we have a vegan-run publication that is so prevalent among mainstream media. I agree with VegNews about these things.

But you know what? That doesn’t negate what they did wrong, and their response did nothing to assuage my newfound unease with their publication. Nowhere in that letter did they even acknowledge their readers’ concern with anything but accusations. You know what they did instead of saying “we fucked up”? They accused us of being the assholes. They were “deeply saddened with the dialogues that [had] transpired over the last 12 hours.” Meaning: “we’re upset that you caught us.” Anyone can see how that is not an appropriate response here. VegNews wants you to believe that your feelings of betrayal (if you have them) are illegitimate. The thing is, they’re not, and here’s why:

1. They Photoshopped images of actual meat to look like vegan dishes. This is straight-up deceit. If it isn’t, I don’t know what is.
2. They used stock photos to illustrate recipes. Have they even tested the recipes they publish? What are they meant to look like? No wonder my quiche didn’t work as well as theirs did – mine didn’t involve any egg!
3. They tried to cover up the truth. This is the worst part. When word got out, VegNews’ first response was to try and hide what they did. If they really think that using stock images is acceptable, and , then why did they try to hide it? Why didn’t they just explain themselves right away? Answer: because they knew their readers would be upset. So, instead, they lied to us some more.

So, now we have a list of sins that VegNews simply did not account for in their (long overdue) response, and a reply that essentially tells us to STFU and praise them for everything else they do well. Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way in the grown-up world. There are three steps to repairing damaged relationships: i) take responsibility for your mistakes, ii) apologise for them, iii) try to make up for your misbehaviour. VegNews has done none of these things. At this point, their reaction has consisted entirely of “This is everybody’s fault but mine!” and “You should be grateful we even publish this magazine!” VegNews does not deserve your forgiveness because they haven’t even asked for it. And, until they do, they will not get it. At least, not from me.

VegNews is putting the MEAT into vegan issues

As someone involved in the publishing business, though not to such an extent as VegNews, I have always battled with several things involving the vegan “purity” of the magazine. The big ones would involve things like booking a tour date in a non-vegan bar, having people involved with the project who are not vegan, promoting companies that are not 100% vegan, and including articles that may not be completely relevant to veganism itself.

However, I can not say I have ever debated whether or not using stock photos of animal products was acceptable.

Furthermore, even though it is not a major issue with T.O.F.U. as of yet, I try to keep an open platform for both praise and criticism with what we do. If I was afraid of a little bit of negative writing, I wouldn’t be vegan, and I certainly would not be promoting the lifestyle with a magazine!

As a business, VegNews has a bottom line. With a large staff working on every issue, the bills have to be paid and corners will be cut. So, to some degree, I can see the trail of decisions that probably led to the use of stock photos. They’re cheap, they’re easily accessible, they’re high quality, and for the most part, the difference goes unnoticed.

Sadly, they’re not vegan.

So, am I saying people should jump from the VegNews ship? No. They have done plenty of good for the veg* community, and I think in a lot of ways that outweighs the use of these photos. What I do think we should be doing is looking for an explanation. If the concern is really about the bottom line, then perhaps VegNews can start looking to the vegan community for pictures? T.O.F.U. magazine has been lucky enough to have amazing contributors (all volunteer!) who offer their writing, photos, music and numerous other talents just to see an issue happen. Maybe VegNews should look a little further online than istockphoto for their (not so vegan) bread and butter?

Regardless of how you feel about the newest scandal in our community, you’re always welcomed to check out our little publication, and you can do so without wondering about what you’re really drooling over.

Just a quick update on the conference I will be attending this August, which is only a little over four months away. They posted the conference schedule last week, and it looks like I’m going to be a part of some awesome panels. Of course, the whole thing will be great, but you can’t blame a guy for promoting his own stuff, right? If you’re attending, you can catch me talking about this or that during the Activism, Publishing and Small Town, Represent! panels with several other lovely folks.

Classy – The Vida Vegan Con schedule

Speaking of attending the conference, within the past couple weeks it seems the whole thing sold out! So, if you don’t already have your ticket, you’re going to need to keep an eye out for some of the giveaways the organizers will be doing. Stay tuned to the Vida Vegan blog for more details.

Your Time Travels Contest

And if those contests are not enough for you, it seems there is a great one going on over at Your Time Travels. So, if you’ve ever wanted to plan a vacation that had animals and your ethics in mind, you might want to check out the prizes they’re offering, as well as the services they provide on a daily basis. With celebrity judges including Gene Baur, the President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, and Colleen Holland, Associate Publisher of VegNews, they’re out to find some of the most amazing people who are using their talents to help animals.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Why run a vegan-friendly business?
It was “follow-your-dreams-and-make-the-world-better” or stay mired in database management (me) and telephone sales (Courtney), so the choice was easy! And, at the time, there weren’t many options for all-vegan stores, and we were determined to make the best one out there.

How long have you been in business?
12 years and counting!

Favourite part about it?
Knowing that we’re able to help vegans all over the world get the products they’re looking for, helping to make it easier for others to go vegan/stay vegan, and of course, being surrounded by tons of vegan food all day long.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?
Cous Cous, hands-down. I’ve seen some pretty big Cous Cous in my day!

What’s THE thing a vegan has to do in your town?
That’s easy – visit VeganEssentials! Or, second best, get your greasy home-style vegan meal needs filled at Palomino in Milwaukee, it’s where we take everyone who comes to visit for dinner, nothing but smiles from every satisfied customer!

Well, boo.

If only I had not spent all my money on eating food and rent… I could be going to India in October. Obviously, I need to add this to the next tour itinerary.

T.O.F.U. does India 2015?